By Ryan Parsons | Image property of respective holders.
The Dark is Rising
The only thing hotter than fantasy films at the moment is fantasy franchises. New Line Cinema has taught us that fantasies can make billions and the studios are doing all they can to follow suit. Warner Bros has been loving the Harry Potter franchise, Disney is getting in on the action with Bridge to Terabithia and The Chronicles of Narnia, and Fox has been working overtime to adapt the Paolini novel Eragon to the bigscreen; a book, mind you, that leads into a trilogy.
Fox isn't ending there, however, as they have found yet another franchise to start adapting.
David Cunningham to Direct The Dark is Rising
According to Variety, director David Cunningham (The Path to 9/11) has been picked up by Walden Media and 20th Century Fox to direct The Dark is Rising.
As expected, Fox and Walden are both crossing there fingers that Dark has the potential to kick off an entire franchise; one that covers five books no less.
The first in a book-series by Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising focuses on a youth who discovers at age 11 that he's a Sign Seeker, last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting a growing presence of dark forces. He comes to the realization that he's charged with saving the world.
Walden Media already has the other four books under option.
Cunningham has already been sent off to Romania, where he'll prep the film for an early 2007 start and a September 28th release.
Before 9/11, Cunningham directed the ABC miniseries adaptation of Little House on the Prairie.
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